ZIMBABWE: Beer Halls as a Focus for HIV Prevention Activities in Rural Zimbabwe

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

ZIMBABWE: Beer Halls as a Focus for HIV Prevention Activities in Rural Zimbabwe

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Vol. 32; No. 6: P. 364-329 (06..05) - Friday, August 05, 2005
James J.C. Lewis, MSc; Geoffrey P. Garnett, PhD; Spiwe Mhlanga; Constance A. Nyamukapa, MSc; Christl A. Donnelly, PhD; Simon Gregson, DPhil

In an effort to identify locations at which to target prevention activities, the authors conducted an assessment of the role of beer halls in rural Zimbabwe's HIV epidemic. Through a population-based survey of 9,480 adults, they collected data on the number of visits to beer halls in the last month, as well as on sociodemographics, sexual behavior, and HIV infection from 1998-2000.

The researchers found that 50 percent of men, but only 4 percent of women, had been to a beer hall in the last month. Those who had been to a beer hall reported higher levels of sexual behavior and stronger associations with commercial sex than those who had not. A recent beer hall visit was associated with HIV infection (men: odds ratio [OR]=1.9, P<0.001; women: OR=1.7, P=0.001) and with ever having experienced urethral/vaginal discharge or genital sores. Of respondents, only 225 reported experiencing an HIV prevention activity at a beer hall in the preceding six months.

"Beer hall attendance is associated with high-risk behavior for HIV infection" and is a cofactor in sexually transmitted infections, the authors concluded. "Beer halls represent an underused focus for HIV prevention."
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